Monthly Archives: August 2015

Hurricane season thoughts

Posted on August 31, 2015 by

As we remember Hurricane Katrina, sigh in relief at Tropical Storm Erika, which took lives in the Caribbean before dissipating south of Florida, worry about Hurricane Fred as it threatens Cape Verde in the Atlantic, and ponder the three hurricanes … Continue reading →

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The Salon des Refuses

Posted on August 30, 2015 by

The topic has come up of a “Salon des refusés” for the classical entries that did not make it into the first two rounds of the competition for a national memorial to World War I. More than 350 entries were … Continue reading →

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Catesby Leigh’s WWI faves

Posted on August 29, 2015 by

The Washington critic Catesby Leigh has an excellent write-up of the World War I memorial designs in the National Review, “National World War I Memorial: The Judges Got It Wrong.” He mentions two proposals that were entered but for various … Continue reading →

Posted in Architects, Architecture, Architecture History, Art and design, Landscape Architecture, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Behead the Islamic State

Posted on August 29, 2015 by

It may have been the beheading of Khalid al-Asaad, known as Mr. Palmyra, a retired professor and protector of antiquities at Palmyra, that pushed me over the edge a few days ago, and I’ve been mulling the idea with further … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Architecture History, Books and Culture, Other countries, Video | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The R.I. Holocaust Memorial

Posted on August 27, 2015 by

Yesterday saw the dedication of the Rhode Island Holocaust Memorial, remembering the more than six million Jews murdered by Hitler and the Nazis, plus the many who escaped, including those who moved to and made a new life in Rhode … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art and design, Landscape Architecture, Providence | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Corbu, Paris and Pinceau

Posted on August 27, 2015 by

Today is the 50th anniversary of the death of Le Corbusier, founding villain of modern architecture and to this day still its leading hero. He died in a swimming accident off the Mediterranean coast where he had vandalized the seaside … Continue reading →

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Why we fall back on parks

Posted on August 26, 2015 by

My post yesterday after the debate in Providence between proponents of a park or a ballpark along the Providence River, even though the waterfront is “festooned” with parks, elicited this eye-opening response from James Howard Kunstler, the celebrated critic of … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Architecture History, Art and design, Development, Landscape Architecture, Providence, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

River “festooned with parks”

Posted on August 25, 2015 by

I attended tonight’s panel discussion, sponsored by Leadership R.I., on the Providence waterfront – park vs. ballpark – and was startled to hear myself quoted in the first question from the moderator. He cited the “blog by David Brussat, who … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art and design, Development, Providence, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Latest projects in Providence

Posted on August 25, 2015 by

Above are two maps of Providence before and after the relocation of Route 195, opening up about 40 acres for development between downtown and the Jewelry District. Toward the top of the map you can see the Providence River curve … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art and design, Development, Landscape Architecture, Preservation, Providence, Rhode Island, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Visiting beautiful Guatemala

Posted on August 24, 2015 by

Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza recently visited Guatemala at the invitation of the Central American nation’s commerce secretary. Elorza – whose family hails from Guatemala – hopes to have persuaded the national airline to schedule regular flights to T.F. Green State … Continue reading →

Posted in Architects, Architecture, Architecture History, Art and design, Development, Other countries, Providence, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments